IJMS, Vol. 19, Pages 3962: Studies on Silver Ions Releasing Processes and Mechanical Properties of Surface-Modified Titanium Alloy Implants (International Journal of Molecular Sciences)

Dispersed silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on the surface of titanium alloy (Ti6Al4V) and titanium alloy modified by titania nanotube layer (Ti6Al4V/TNT) substrates were produced by the chemical vapor deposition method (CVD) using a novel precursor of the formula [Ag5(O2CC2F5)5(H2O)3]. The structure and volatile properties of this compound were determined using single crystal X-ray diffractometry, variable temperature IR spectrophotometry (VT IR), and electron inducted mass spectrometry (EI MS). The morphology and the structure of the produced Ti6Al4V/AgNPs and Ti6Al4V/TNT/AgNPs composites were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Moreover, measurements of hardness, Young`s modulus, adhesion, wettability, and surface free energy have been carried out. The ability to release silver ions from the surface of produced nanocomposite materials immersed in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) solution has been estimated using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The results of our studies proved the usefulness of the CVD method to enrich of the Ti6Al4V/TNT system with silver nanoparticles. Among the studied surface-modified titanium alloy implants, the better nano-mechanical properties were noticed for the Ti6Al4V/TNT/AgNPs composite in comparison to systems non-enriched by AgNPs. The location of silver nanoparticles inside of titania nanotubes caused their lowest release rate, which may indicate suitable properties on the above-mentioned type of the composite for the construction of implants with a long term antimicrobial activity.